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Hustle culture<\/a> may be the norm<\/a> at tech companies in the AI era, but the work will stop tomorrow at publishing platform Medium. Medium CEO Tony Stubblebine is giving the company\u2019s employees permission to take the day off to participate in tomorrow\u2019s nationwide general strike<\/a> protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.<\/p>\n Activists behind the general strike are calling<\/a> for \u201cno work, no school, and no shopping\u201d amid a push to defund ICE, which has escalated raids in U.S. cities, killing several people<\/a>, including two U.S. citizens earlier this month in Minneapolis.<\/p>\n In a Slack message shared<\/a> today with Medium staff, Stubblebine says all employees are free to participate in the strike however they see fit.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether or not you want to fully take the day away from work, or do a partial work day, or orient your work towards something that feels aligned to the goals of the strike, that is up to you,\u201d he wrote in a general announcements channel. <\/p>\n The exec clarified that Medium is not \u201cin the business of dictating people\u2019s politics,\u201d so the choice to participate was an individual one, not a company mandate.<\/p>\n Of course, the publishing platform has an important role in helping people share news, opinions, insights, and analysis around politics, culture, and other topics. So that it can allow its employees to take the day off to protest, Stubblebine said Medium will coordinate with the necessary teams to ensure there\u2019s a plan for \u201cbusiness continuity\u201d on Friday.<\/p>\n Tech leaders, including Google DeepMind chief scientist Jeff Dean, have been outspoken in protest of ICE<\/a>. Still, many large tech companies and executives have spent the last several weeks courting favor<\/a> with the Trump administration. Some execs \u2014 including Apple CEO Tim Cook<\/a> \u2014 were criticized for attending the screening<\/a> of the Amazon MGM Studios-produced \u201cMelania\u201d documentary on the day federal border control agents shot and killed ICU nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.<\/p>\n Many rank-and-file tech employees, meanwhile, have demanded that ICE and CBP (Customs and Border Protection) get out of U.S. cities<\/a>, as evidenced by the open letter signed by<\/a> more than 500 tech industry employees.<\/p>\n Stubblebine seems to share that opinion, writing that Medium has a responsibility to \u201cmake its stance clear,\u201d especially \u201cas many other tech orgs are donating to the Trump campaign.\u201d He also said that Medium\u2019s product exists to help \u201celevate truth and diverse voices,\u201d not hateful content or racism. <\/p>\n His message also reiterated Medium\u2019s support for DEI, the set of pro-diversity policies the Trump administration has attempted to dismantle through executive orders, the elimination of DEI positions in the federal workforce, curriculum removals, legal targeting, and more. <\/p>\n \u201cOur business thrives when the country thrives, and so being out there representing is good for [our] mission,\u201d Stubblebine said. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n